The 42nd season of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks reaches Great Falls on Friday and Saturday, with free performances of "As Your Like It" and "Romeo and Juliet" at the University of Great Falls.

"Romeo and Juliet" plays Friday at 6 p.m. The well-known play follows the ill-fated romance of the children of two feuding households in Verona. Despite the hatred between their families, the teens fall in love and plan to marry, but circumstances take a tragic turn.

"As You Like It" plays Saturday at 6 p.m. The comedy is set in Butte in 1917, amid labor unrest and social inequity. When Orlando, younger son of a wealthy man, is spurned after the older son inherits their father's wealth, he first falls in love with Rosalind before fleeing to the forest.

When Rosalind falls out of her uncle's favor, she and her maid are banished to the forest and disguise themselves as young men. There, Orlando and Rosalind meet again, with Orlando unaware he has crossed paths with his love once again, setting in motion a series of adventures for them and the people already inhabiting the forest.

MSIP artistic director Kevin Asselin said a PBS documentary on the history of Butte inspired him to stage the play there.

"There was a clear division of class (in Butte in 1917)," Asselin said, "two distinct worlds, a new court and new regime, and the new court essentially exiling and banishing the lower class faction in the city, and those individuals retreat to the forest of Ardenne where they find a sense of balance and reason and forgiveness, and a sense of being whole as a human."

The sense of renewal was real for Asselin when he came to Montana to perform with MSIP in the past from cities like Chicago or New York. He hoped to bring that to "As You Like It."

The play's set is meant to evoke the city at its height of mining and industry. Even the forest has hints of the copper that is coating the nearby city.

Asselin said audiences have been intrigued by the play, which few are familiar with, and its staging. That's fine with him.

"I love the idea of an audience being challenged because I think they find themselves leaning in more and hearing the language in a more accessible manner as a result," he said.

Will Dickerson directed "Romeo and Juliet," which is set in Shakespeare's day. Dickerson said staging a play so many people are familiar with can be a challenge. Keeping it fresh is important, but so is staying true to the story.

MSIP tour manager Michael Gonring said audiences have been responding well to both plays.

Gonring said he's heard people say this year's "Romeo and Juliet" is the best they've seen.

"It's a fun challenge to do a play that's so well-known by so many people that they have expectations," he said.

"As You Like It," with its unique setting, is taking people by surprise. But that's fine with Gonring, too.

As its names implies, Shakespeare in the Parks often plays to outdoor audiences. That gives the actors an interesting challenge — how to deal with the distractions that may grab the audience's attention.

Gonring recalls a former artistic director who advised his actors "to be more interesting than the guy playing Frisbee on the side."

But Gonring said that's another fun challenge for the actors.

Dealing with the trains or trucks passing through is another challenge actors must play through often. Gonring said it's a mix of ignoring what's happening and incorporating it into the play.

"That's one of the greatest things about live theater, is you have the opportunity to do that stuff. We've dealt with trains and dogs and bells," he said.

Even with the pace of the tour — the company plays 75 shows in 61 communities between June 30 and Sept. 7 — Gonring said actors appreciate the opportunity to carry the full responsibility of getting the show to an audience.

"I think working that hard is a good thing for us. It's something that not only makes our company unique, but breathes that life in, and gives us ownership of the show," he said.

Bringing the plays to an appreciative audience isn't bad either. And Gonring said the Montana audiences are some of the best he's performed for.

For a full schedule of the 2014 Montana Shakespeare in the Parks season, visit http://www.shakespeareintheparks.org/schedule.php.